Fieeaem



(No Model.) '3 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. KURTH. BREEGH LOADING FIREARM.

No. 600,834. Patented Mar. 15, 1898.

in; norms PETERS co. PHOTO-Lama, WASHING) (No Model.)

3 SheetsSheet 2, W. KURTH. BREEGH LOADING FIREARM.

Patented Mar. 15, 1898' nvmiio J wrh 716dde JMF 6% UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

WILLIAM KURTI'I, OF CASSELTON, NORTH DAKOTA, ASSIGNOR TO PAUL HENNIG, OF SAME PLACE.

BREECH-LOADING FIREARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,834, dated March 15, 1898.

Application filed April 21, 1897.

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM KURTH, residing at Gasselton, in the county of Cass and State of North Dakota, have invented a new and Improved Breech-Loading Fowling- Piece,of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in breech-loading fowling-pieces.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of breech-loading fowling-pieces and to provide an exceedingly simple and inexpensive one adapted to shoot simultaneously a series of small balls that will scatter to a certain extent and be effect ive at a long range in firing into a flock or a single bird.

A further object of the invention is to provide a gun adapted to be rapidly loaded and capable of permitting the shells to be quickly extracted.

The invention consists in a breech-loading firearm having a reciprocating barrel and means for reciprocating the same and for holding it locked in position for firing.-

The invention also consists in a breechloading firearm having a removable cartridgecarrier and a reciprocating barrel provided with means to engage the said carrier and lock the same in position for firing.

The invention also consists in such details and combination of parts as will be first described in detail, and then be specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a multicharge sporting fowling-rifle constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same, the gun being cocked ready for firing. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the position of the parts after firing, the barrel being thrown forward. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line 4 4: of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a similar view on line 5 5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a detail horizontal sectional View on line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Fig. '7 is a similar View on line 7 7 of Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a reverse plan View of the front of the frame, illustrating the arrangement of the guides. Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of the hammer. Fig. 10 is Serial No 683,136. (No model.)

a detail View of the cartridge-carrier. Fig. 11 is a side elevation showing a modified form of barrel. Fig. 12 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 13 is a detail View of one end of one of the tubes.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a barrel slidingly mounted on the front or extension 2 of a frame 3 and provided with a plurality of bores 4, which are rifled; but instead of making the barrel solid it may be composed of a group of tubes 5, as illustrated in Figs. 11 to 13, inclusive, of the drawings.

The barrel 1, which is rectangular in crosssection and which may be provided with any desired number of bores 4, is mounted on the fiat upper face of the extension or front 2,

which is provided with front and rear longi= tudinal slots 6, forming ways for the reception of front and rear longitudinal slides 7. The slides 7, which are rigid with the barrel, are provided with lateral projections 8, consisting of plates disposed transversely of the slides and having their projecting portions arranged in recesses 9 of the front of the frame. The'plates 8 are detachably secured to the slides by screws or other means and are of a width greater than the slides, so as to project through the slideway and thereby hold the barrel on the frame, the sliding movement of the barrel being limited by the recess 9, which the projecting ends of the plates engage as such barrel is moved backward or forward.

The barrel is reciprocated and locked in its closed position by a lever 10, which carries a cam or eccentric 11, located in a horizontal slot 12 of the front of the frame and interposed between the front and rear slides. The horizontal slot 12 communicates with the vertical longitudinal slots 6, and the cam 11 is mounted on the spindle 13, the lower end of which is made non-circular and projected to receive the lever 10, which is adj ustably held in position, as the spindle, which is in the nature of a screw, has its head 14 projected below the lever 10, as clearly shown in Fig. 2,

such lever being located beneath the frame, in a position longitudinally thereof, when the barrel is in position for firing. The lever 10 is swung laterally of the frame to slide the barrel forward to permit the removal and insertion of a cartridge-carrier 15, which is mounted in ways 16 and which is provided with cartridge-receiving openings 17, corresponding with the bores 4 of the barrel. The barrel is moved backward and forward by the cam 11, which operates in a suitable slotway in the slide member '7, as clearly shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The ways 16, which comprise a pair of forwardly-extending plates having inturned end flanges, are formed by plates secured to the sides of the body portion of the frame 3, and the cartridge-carrier, which has its side edges recessed to receive the flanges of the ways 16, forms a solid abutment for the rear end of the barrel and fits flat against a detachable breech-plate 18. The cartridges 19, which are arranged in the openings 17 of the rectangular cartridge-carrier 15, project forward therefrom and enter the bores of the barrel, as is illustrated in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.

The breech-plate, which is provided with perforations 20, retains firing-pins 21 in perforations 22 of the body portion of frame. The perforations and 22, which correspond to the bores 4 of the barrel, form housings for the firing-pins 21, which are held retracted by springs 23. The firing-pins 21 are projected forward to explode the cartridges simultaneously by a hammer 24, which is common to all of the firing-pins. The cartridgecarrier is securely locked in the vertical ways 16 by a lip 26, which projects rearward from the top of the barrel and engages over the upper edge of the cartridge-carrier, as clearly shown inFig. 2 of the drawings.

The hammer 24, which has a rectangular head to engage the firing-pins, is provided with a substantially U shaped arm or shank 27, depending from the head and perforated at its bottom to receive a transverse screw or pin 28, upon which the hammer is mounted. The rear portion of the shank extends'upward and is connected by a link 29 with a mainspring 30, the link 29 being pivoted in bifurcations of the spring 30 and the arm or shank 2'7 and permitting the former to extend over the latter, whereby the mainspring is adapted to throw the hammer forward. The mainspring, which is slightly curved, is arranged at an inclination and is secured at its rear end to the back of the frame.

The hammer 24 has an upwardly-extending finger-piece 31, which is provided witha sightopening 32 to facilitate an accurate snap-shot, the hammer being adapted to be drawn back and released while the trigger 33 is depressed, and the gun being aimed through the sightopening 32 while drawing the hammer back.

The tumbler of the hammer is provided at its bottom with notches 34 for cooking and half-cocking the hammer, and they are engaged by a sear 35, which is pivoted intermediate of its ends between longitudinal ribs 36 on a transverse pin 37. The front of the sear curves upward to engage said notches, and the trigger 33, which is pivoted in a slot of the frame, engages the lower face of the rear arm of the sear and is adapted to move the same upward against the action of a trigger-spring 38 to release the hammer. The trigger-spring, which is disposed longitudinally of the frame, is secured at its rear to the frame and has its front end free and held to engage the trigger 33, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. l

The fowling-piece is provided with suitable sights, and the frame has a top plate 39, which is provided with a tongue 40 for bracing the wooden butt or stock proper.

The group of tubes 5, which have rifled bores, are provided with threaded ends 41 and are connected by front and rear end plates 42, which have threaded openings to receive the threaded ends of the tubes. The reduced threaded ends of the tubes form shoulders to abut against the end plates, and the rear end plate 42 has a lip 26 for locking the cartridge-carrier in place.

It will be seen that the fowling-piece is exceedingly simple and inexpensive in construction, that it is effective at long range in firing into a flock of birds or at a single bird, as the balls will spread to a certain extent, and it is especially adapted for quick or snap shots, as they can be accurately made by sighting through the hammer in cooking the same.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

What I claim is- 1. In a firearm, the combination of a frame, a barrel slidingly mounted thereon, and a lever fulcrumed on the frame and having a cam engaging the barrel and adapted to reciprocate the same either backward or forward, said cam locking the barrel in position for firing, substantially as described.

2. vIn a firearm, the combination of a frame provided with vertical slots in its front extension and having a horizontal slot communicating with the vertical slots, a sliding barrel mounted on the frame and having slides arranged in the vertical slots, and a lever fulcrumed on the frame and provided with a cam located in the horizontal slot and engaging the slides, substantially as shown and for the purposes described.

3. In a firearm, the combination of a frame provided with ways, a cartridge-carrier ar ranged in said ways, and a sliding barrel mounted on the frame and provided with a lip arranged to engage the cartridge-carrier and lock the same in said ways, substantially as described.

4. In a firearm, the combination of a frame frame and engaging the cartridge carrier, provided with perforations, firing-pins arsubstantially as described. ranged in the perforations,a breech-plate having corresponding perforations and retaining WVILLIAM KURTH' 5 the firing-pins in the perforations of the frame, Witnesses:

a cartridge-carrier fitting against the breech H. G. SCOTT,

plate, and a sliding barrel mounted on the N. B. FITCH. 

